"I think that she was a remarkable lady, an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society," Hefner was quoted as saying.

Bettie Mae Page was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1923. Her career took off after an amateur photographer in New York asked her to pose for pictures in 1950.

She featured in posters and photographs, including one of the early centrefolds of Playboy magazine.

However not everyone was happy with the pictures. Some US lawmakers were concerned they amounted to pornography and subpoenaed Page to testify at a congressional hearing, although in the end she never had to appear.

Looking back on her career, she told Playboy in 1998: "I never thought it was shameful. I felt normal. It's just that it was much better than pounding a typewriter eight hours a day, which gets monotonous."

She was married three times but had no children.

She disappeared from public view in the late 1950s, turning to religion and battling mental illness. However, decades later, she became the subject of renewed interest.